Part 1

Have you ever felt an invisible thread pulling you towards someone? How about steering you away? There’s a subtle art to noticing who we’re drawn to – those who spark inspiration, present a challenge, or offer us encouragement. It requires nurturing, an acute sense of awareness, and practicing being present.

“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future” is the profound axiom of Western Wisdom that encapsulates the notion that we become a blend of the company that we decide to keep. When I apply Eastern philosophy to it, the term Sangat comes to the forefront and that’s where it begins to ring true for me.

The concept of Sangat is deeply woven in Sikh thoughts and spirituality. The definitions vary slightly, but for the purpose of this post – it’s our chosen circle of influence. For Punjabi Sikhs, the ethos of Sangat is introduced in childhood, and often within the sacred walls of a Gurdwara. It wasn’t until my journey into adulthood that the full magnitude of Sangat began to really dawn on me – and when the sunshine hit the right spot, the lesson took me to searching for a way to keep certain Sangat at a distance, where there was no measurable influence. It was the realization that the scope of Sangat expanded far beyond the boundaries of religious gatherings. The principle began to resonate as being relevant to every facet of life. It was a powerful revelation and when I truly began to appreciate it, it felt like the universe was smacking me in 8 different directions.

Sangat is the mirror reflecting back the nuances of behaviour, subtleties of thought, and the trajectories of our life paths. It’s the intertwining of emotional and intellectual energies that shape…You.

Personal evolution requires you to recognize that Sangat isn’t static; it’s an ever-evolving entity. It grows as you grow, shifts as you shift, and when you tune in to your life’s symphony it becomes clear that navigating through its stages requires periodic reassessment. More bluntly, as we transform, some ties may no longer resonate with our journey and may need to be released. Yet, it’s within the maintenance of a Sangat that echoes our present and our envisioned selves, and it’s there that we slowly begin to unravel the mystery of ourselves.

If I still have your attention, thank-you. Take a beat and pay homage to the fluidity of human connections and the perpetual journey to root out the essence of our being.

Since the holiday season is nearing, it’s time to revisit great pieces of cinema. If you haven’t found an example of Sangat in cinema yet, let me entertain you with one of my favourites. Lord of the Rings offers us a compelling analogy for the impact of Sangat. The Fellowship is composed of four Hobbits, two Men, an Elf, a Dwarf, and a Wizard – a diverse mix of cultures, personalities, talents, and experiences. Brought together by the universe for a near impossible task. Each of them brings their unique perspective, strengths, and weaknesses to the collective and all of them embody an unique aspect of the journey – one that illustrates how our companions can shape, challenge, and transform us.

The power of Sangat is in its collective growth. Using the fellowship as an example, they represent a microcosm of society, where each member contributes to the whole with their distinct characteristics and backgrounds. Their journey together highlights how our interactions, challenges, and shared experiences shape our development. The evolution as individuals, mirrors the journey of self-discovery and growth that we all embark upon in our lives. More specifically, Frodo wouldn’t have accomplished the task without Sam, Aragorn wouldn’t of become king without his role in the crew, Legolas and Gimli would never of broken down prejudices and bonded, and my boy Gandalf would never of went from The Grey to The White had he not saved the whole Fellowship with one of the most epic lines in fiction history – “You shall not pass!”.

The Fellowship’s journey is both literal and metaphorical, reflecting the continuous process of learning, evolving, and adapting that’s central to the concept of Sangat. The story of the Fellowship teaches us that the people we journey with, whether for a short while or a lifetime, leave an indelible mark on our lives.

Our Sangat is not just a part of our story, it’s integral to our narrative and shapes our path in profound ways.

Unveiling Sangat’s Role in the Unconscious Mind

In Sangat and Destiny, we explored Sangat as the potent force that steers our destiny. We observed its power to shape our narratives and life paths through the epic tale of The Lord of the Rings. In this blog, I want to venture deeper, moving from philosophical musings to the subconscious corridors where Sangat’s influence silently, yet significantly, alters our internal landscapes.

Sangat is the unseen sculptor of the psyche. In life’s journey, our Sangat wields the sculptor’s chisel, shaping the marble of our unconscious mind. Each interaction and shared experience with our chosen circle becomes a deliberate strike on our unconscious mind, defining the contours of our character with each impact. In psychology, we recognize that we are largely unconscious of these influences, yet they leave indelible marks, sculpting our deepest drives, fears, and aspirations.

Carl Jung introduced the concept of the collective unconscious to Western audiences in the 50s-60’s as a reservoir of our experience as a species. Sangat can be viewed through this lens too, as a dynamic interplay of shared histories, emotions, and archetypes. Each member of our Sangat brings to this collective a piece of their own unconscious, which intertwines with ours and influences our dreams, intuitions, and even our shadow selves. Quoting from one of his last pieces written before his death, Man and His Symbols (1964), Jung discusses the “subliminal state” where forgotten ideas cease to exist and cannot be reproduced at will:

I am speaking here of things we have consciously seen or heard, and subsequently forgotten. But we all see, hear, smell, and taste things without noticing them at the time, either because our attention is deflected or because the stimulus to our senses is too slight to leave a conscious impression. The unconscious, however, has taken note of them, and such subliminal sense perceptions play a significant part in our everyday lives. Without our realizing it, they influence the way in which we react to both events and people.[emphasis added] (p. 20)

Biopsychology tells us that we’re hardwired for empathy through mirror neurons, which help us understand and reflect the emotions of others. In a Sangat, the reflection goes beyond an emotional mimicry – it becomes a reflection of internal/divine qualities such as compassion, humility, and love. Mirror neurons as defined by Pinel and Barnes (2021) are – “neurons that fire when an individual performs a particular goal-directed movement or when they observe the same goal-directed movement performed by another” (p. 195). This neuro-psychological effect can deeply influence the unconscious processes that shape our perceptions and reactions.

Integrating the philosophical depth of Sangat with psychological insights brings us to a crossroads of understanding and introspection. The interplay of conscious experiences and the unconscious imprints they leave behind, becomes yet another dance, one of shadows and light within our psyche.

In short, Sangat is a potent force of transformation, working within the seen and unseen realms of our existence. As we come together with our circle of influence, we are engaging in a process of mutual evolution, where our unconscious minds are being molded not only by the explicit teachings we receive, but also the implicit understandings that flow through our shared humanity. It should prompt us to select our Sangat with the utmost care. In doing so, we choose the architects of our subconscious minds and the co-authors of our fate.

With that, I’d like to leave you with two reflection prompts: How does your choice in Sangat honour the interconnectedness of our conscious and unconscious selves? And how does it pave the way for your journey to wholeness?

References

Jung, C.G. (1964). Man and his Symbols. Dell

Pinel, J. P., & Barnes, S. J. (2021). Biopsychology (11th ed.). Pearson

The Spiritual Fellowship

In my quest to unravel the mysteries of Sangat, I’ve stumbled upon some fascinating truths about destiny, collective consciousness, and the indelible marks left on our psyches by others. For this one, I want to take you on a slightly different path – a more personal perspective on how our growth is often sparked by people who enter our lives – those serendipitous, almost mystical encounters that make us pause and ponder.

I’ve come to believe, and maybe you’ve felt this too, that people don’t just randomly walk into our lives. And that in the grand tapestry of life, every encounter and relationship holds a purpose, shaping us in ways we don’t often realize. Modern times have us labelling and disguising the interactions – minimizing them as random happenstance. But what if on deeper inspection, we could see the threads of life at play and that the threads are of a larger design? And what if we began to recognize interactions with others as an interaction with ourselves? Really embracing the concept of Oneness.

As Proximo once said to Maximus – “we mortals are but shadows and dust. Shadows and dust, Maximus!”

If you’re just joining me on this journey and haven’t caught up, read the last two blogs, The Dance of Destiny and Sangat, and Unveiling Sangat’s Role in the Unconscious Mind , and then venture back.

The integration of Sikh philosophy and psychological practices presents us a path to self-discovery that’s rich and multifaceted. By “intentionally” choosing our Sangat and participating in communal practices that nurture our highest virtues, we guide our unconscious mind towards a state of emerging strengths. It’s in the Spiritual Fellowship that we discover the profound potential for transformation and perhaps even unity.

To honour the interconnectedness of our conscious and unconscious selves is to acknowledge the profound influence of our Sangat and its design.

If you’re a seeker like me, here are some reflective prompts that have guided me, and maybe they’ll resonate with you too:

• Honouring The Interconnectedness = In what ways does your Sangat reflect the duality of your inner world, the seen and the unseen? Do the individuals within your circle embody the qualities that resonate with your deepest self?
• Architects of the Subconscious = How are the members of your Sangat co-authoring the narrative of your life? Are they contributing chapters of growth, understanding, and empowerment?
• The Spiritual Fellowship = Can you identify moments where your Sangat has acted as a catalyst for the profound internal shifts? How have these transformations been mirrored in your outer life?
• The Conscious “Choice” = Moving forward, how will you intentionally choose your Sangat? What will guide you on your journey to wholeness?

Remember, the Sangat you keep is more than just a reflection of who you are now, it’s a compass guiding you towards the person you are becoming. In the spiritual fellowship, growth is a shared journey, a symphony of souls, each playing a part in the unfolding story of our lives.

As you contemplate these questions, I invite you to embrace the beauty of Sangat and its power. May your reflections bring you close to a fellowship that embraces your truth, challenges you to grow, and celebrates the journey to becoming one.

With love,

Gurmukh ✌🏽